watchOS 5 brings Auto Workout Detection, Apple Podcasts and a Walkie-Talkie feature

Apple Watch is a key Apple Product and one that has shown tremendous momentum. Now heading into its fourth year, we will be getting watchOS 5 which will enable auto workout detection which senses when a workout is in progress and gives retroactive credit.

Even the most devoted gym rats often forget to start tracking exercises or stop  to move to another exercise or piece of gym equipment which results in faulty stats and tracking.

Adding this feature makes the Apple Watch an even more valuable fitness device. Adding Podcasts to Apple Watch is a huge feature I’ve been waiting for, this means you can sync and download Podcasts for listening on runs or trips to the gym. Also coming are enhanced notifications that make needing to read or respond less time consuming.  A new slew of watch bands and a Pride Watch face were also revealed.

watchOS 5 will not work with the first generation O.G. Apple Watch models.

Apple reveals macOS Mojave with Dark Mode

Mac OS users got some good news at WWDC today. No, it wasn’t about the butterfly keyboard on the MacBook Pros, which were apparently not an item of discussion, but it focused on the latest version of macOS Mojave.

Staying true to the naming convention pertaining to Californian locations, macOS Mojave will ship this fall and has Dark Mode as its biggest feature. What is Dark Mode you ask? It is basically a visual theme that converts the windows and icons of various apps into a darker shade for better contrast. It’s a feature iOS users have long wanted on the iPhone. Various apps like Twitter and Ulysses come with Dark Mode options, it is preferred for reading at night and in dim conditions.

Aside from Dark Mode, Apple is adding apps from iOS like News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home to the Mac. Facetime group calling also works on Macs. Apple has also renovated the Mac App Store. A new camera continuity feature allows iPhones to take photos which appear on a Mac instantly. macOS Mojave is coming in the fall to Macs introduced in mid-2012 or later.

Apple announces iOS 12 with a focus on managing screen time

Apple revealed all the software updates and zero hardware today at their World Wide Developer’s Conference WWDC.

While the company played up expected new features to excite and delight users like new mEmoji, AR functionality as well as even better camera and photos functionality, the key reveals were about managing screen time.

Following in the stead of Google who announced features last month to help track and manage smartphone use and screen time, iOS 12 will  similarly generate activity reports for time spent on apps, websites or social media. Ideal for parents managing their young ones’ iPad or gaming time, these metrics also serve to give a realistic picture of our online and smartphone addictions.

Also improved are the Do Not Disturb function on iOS devices that help people stay in the moment and focus on work and class as well as family time like dinner or a date. Notifications, which have become the bane of almost all smartphone users, can now be managed on a granular level and will be tied to time as well as to location constraints.

iOS 12 comes this fall but will be available as a public beta for intrepid users. Developers can get their hands on the latest build starting today.

Breaking: Microsoft confirms intent to purchase GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock

Chris Wanstrath (left), Github CEO and co-founder; Nat Friedman, Microsoft corporate vice president, Developer Services; Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO; and Amy Hood, Microsoft Chief Financial Officer.

GitHub will retain its developer-first ethos. Operate independently and remain an open platform. -Microsoft

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Further to the earlier report that Microsoft is purchasing code repository and developer community hangout GitHub, we now have confirmation from Redmond that Microsoft intends to purchases GitHub for $7.5 billion in Microsoft stock.

Microsoft says that the "two companies will empower developers to achieve more at every stage of the development lifecycle, accelerate enterprise use of GitHub, and bring Microsoft’s developer tools and services to new audiences."

"The era of the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge is upon us. Computing is becoming embedded in the world, with every part of our daily life and work and every aspect of our society and economy being transformed by digital technology.Developers are the builders of this new era, writing the world’s code. And GitHub is their home," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated in a blog post. 

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